WATTS: Detroit becoming an urban outdoors destination

Detroit is indeed the Motor City with a rich industrial history resonated by a gritty blue-collar middle class population.

But attitudes are changing about the perception of Detroit and it’s trending toward the outdoors.

Plans for an indoor archery range; simulated experiences for kayaking, fishing and skeet shooting, to name a few, has the city looking at outdoors activities that will bring with it recognition of a new nature.

Adventure Center will be geared toward creating a downtown Detroit destination where more people can learn about Michigan’s natural resources and recreation options.

It is scheduled to open within 14 months on Detroit’s Riverfront and adjacent to William G. Milliken State Park on Atwater Street.

The idea, according to Vicki Anthes of the Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division, is to have folks gain an outdoors experience in Detroit.

“When we committed to building a state park (Milliken State Park on the Detroit River) and one of the goals was to introduce people to the natural resources we already have there,” Anthes said Friday. “We see Milliken State Park as a gateway and Adventure Center extends that and creates an indoor opportunity for that same mission. One focus point is get people comfortable in recreating in the outdoors.”

Adventure Center will be a year-round place to go and perhaps try kayaking on a simulator indoors before perhaps trying the sport outdoors.

“One thing we’ve discussed is a kayaking simulator; this allows you to try it out and it if it seems like a cool experience then we would encourage you to try it for real on the water,” Anthes said. “We look at it as a year round facility that blends in a lot of good information on how to take care of or enjoy our natural resources. We need to get back in the outdoors.”

DNR officials said the ambitious project is the first of its kind to come to an urban populated area like Detroit.

Anthes said ever since the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy built the River Walk along the Detroit River and since the DNR established Milliken State Park, “we’ve had a ton of fishermen who now throw their fishing line out in the Detroit River,” she said. “Adventure Center will be another extension.”

The $12.8 million facility will not only house an archery range and simulated experiences, but also provide instructional and hands-on areas where visitors can learn lifelong outdoor skills, such as pitching a tent or building a campfire.

Other center activities will focus on natural resources management, with sections on tree planting, erosion control, fish hatcheries, biology of a healthy stream, and simulated logging experiences. The idea is to reach out to Michigan educators with extended classroom opportunities, offering integrated natural resources, biology and environmental lessons that will complement teachers’ learning plans.

Officials said the Outdoor Adventure and Discovery Center is one step in a multi-phase project involving harbor renovation, park improvements, installation of play equipment and trail development.

Adventure Center will be housed in the 150-year-old Globe Building, adjacent to the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor.

Yep, times are changing on how Detroit looks at the outdoors.

How to better manage Huron-Erie Corridor

U.S. and Canada partner organizations released the State of the Strait Conference report this week titled “Use of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to Better Manage the Huron-Erie Corridor.”

The report is based on the conference held at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti in November. Over 200 people from the United States and Canada attended the conference to learn about existing projects that utilize GIS and remote sensing technologies to better manage ecosystems.

“The State of the Strait Conference is a useful tool that allows us to review, assess and discuss important issues within the Corridor from both points of view,” said Steve Francoeur, a U.S. co-chairman of the State of the Strait Conference. “We share a special and important corridor with our Canadian neighbors.”

Luca Cargnelli, a co-chairman of the conference from Canada, said having the bi-national conference every two years and sharing knowledge and best practices is “an excellent example of fostering ecosystem-based management of a shared resource between our two countries.”

The report recommends that environmental and natural resource managers plan actions and evaluate the ecological responses of their actions through an adaptive management process, investing appropriately in GIS and remote sensing.

The report suggests that management agencies place a high priority on integrating modeling with GIS and remote sensing to better facilitate science-based decision-making and practice adaptive management.

Examples of Remote Sensing and GIS projects in the report include monitoring migratory bird stopover sites and habitats, mapping the invasive plant species Phragmites australis, and managing and quantifying water quality data.

The State of the Strait is a bi-national collaboration that hosts a conference every two years to bring together government managers, researchers, students, environmental and conservation

organizations, and concerned citizens.

Conference participants work to understand historical ecosystem conditions and assess current ecosystem status in order to achieve a better future for the Detroit River and western Lake Erie.

A complete copy of the State of the Strait: Use of Remote Sensing and GIS to Better Manage the Huron-Erie Corridor is available at www.stateofthestrait.org.

Basic Backyard Composting Class Offered

The Macomb County Michigan State University Extension will be holding a basic backyard composting class on Thursday, Oct. 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the VerKuilen Building.

Attendees can learn how to build and maintain bins, mix materials, use finished compost and understand the dos and don’ts of composting.

The VerKuilen Building is located at 21885 Dunham Road in Clinton Township. Attendees can enter through the door labeled “E.” There is no charge to attend but pre-registration is required. To register, call (586) 469-6440.

Michigan State University Extension (MSUE) brings educational programs to residents, empowering them to improve their lives and community. County-based MSUE staff and on-campus faculty members serve residents with programming focused on agriculture, natural resources, children, youth and families, community and economic development.

Call ahead before registering bear

With the bear hunting season in full swing, successful bear hunters are reminded to call ahead to registration stations to be sure staff are available to register and seal a bear.

There are more than 75 bear registrations stations open throughout the state for mandatory bear registration during the bear hunting season.

However, due to department staffing limitations, it is important for hunters to call ahead and, in some cases, make an appointment to register a bear if they will be taking it to a DNR office for registration.

The list of bear registration stations is available in the 2012 Bear Hunting Digest, which is available at DNR Operations Service Centers and from license vendors, or online at www.michigan.gov/hunting. Registration stations that require an appointment are marked with an asterisk.

The data collected at bear registration stations is used to estimate the bear population. This data also helps DNR wildlife staff make recommendations on hunting season structure and license quotas.